PHOENIX (WTHR) – If you're in the market for a pet pig, look to Phoenix, Arizona.
The state is experiencing an overpopulation of potbellied pigs.
According to 12News, last year the rescue averaged around 30 pigs needing sanctuary. Lately, they’ve been averaging between 60 to 67 pigs.
“It's a problem. We're getting a lot of calls for owner surrenders and a lot for rescues. A lot of times, people don’t know what to do with a potbelly pig. They can become mature adults at eight weeks old. They start to hump. They start to get aggressive. Instead of spaying and neutering, they drop them off,” Danielle Betterman, owner of Better Piggies Rescue in Phoenix, told 12News.
Some of the potbelly pigs at the rescue were abandoned on the streets of Phoenix, others left to fend for themselves in the desert.
Betterman says the pigs can get to be up to 300 pounds.
Potential adopters from Better Piggies Rescue go through a vetting process that includes checking with city codes and the HOA to make sure the pigs are welcomed in their community.
Many communities consider potbelly pigs livestock and can only live in specially zoned areas, according to 12News.
Visit betterpiggiesrescue.org to learn more or surrender a pig.
